Leadership in conservation biology is a topic that, while rather taboo, needs to be discussed. Thousands of young people are entering the extremely tight job market every year eager to make a difference, but are left at the whims of a select few individuals in leadership. As this new generation of environmentalists age, can they step up to the challenge of improving leadership in conservation? Or will they burnout even before they get there? This series is meant to open up frank and honest discussions on how to make our workplaces as enjoyable as the wildlife that we work with. This article was part of a multi-part series on the Broke Biologists.
I vividly remember being in a meeting discussing the latest round of applicants for a low-paid field internship position, there were applicants from several different backgrounds and from all over the world - one even had a PhD. However management wasn’t too keen on hiring anyone just yet, I was a bit puzzled “Wouldn’t we want to hire someone with experience?” I asked, “The more experience they have, the more money they expect,” one of the directors pointed out, “let's wait and see what other candidates present themselves.”
It's a fairly disturbing reality that you’re more likely to be ghosted by a HR rep than last week’s date.
Keen on finding additional biologists to fill out our already overworked staff but also trying to work with management’s demands, I pressed them further, “If we don’t want to hire experienced personnel from overseas, why not try and start a grassroots program here - or at least reach out to local institutions so we can see if we can work with more local staff?” Despite being based in South East Asia, our company hadn’t been particularly good at integrating local biologists into our operations, a vast majority of the staff hailed from the United Kingdom and we had very little interaction with local entities.
The company’s founder leaned forward in their chair, “No, we’ll wait to see who else applies, there are a lot of internationals looking for work in this sector and they’ll take what they can get,” they paused, “We should gauge interest in whether or not we could make these internships a paid experience, it works for other organizations!” I stared back at them silently, not entirely sure I’d heard them right, they continued, “People are willing to pay for experience. We can do that. Won’t have to worry about paying interns, and I’ve heard how companies in the Caribbean have had to turn down people who offered to pay to work for them. I definitely think this is an option worth looking into.” And that was that. Meeting over. We walked out of the office without even discussing the stack of resumes on the desk or further exploring what a grassroots program could have even looked like.
As much as I hated to admit it, the founder was right. When I’d applied for the internship position myself I was six months removed from graduating, I had received an innumerable amount of rejection letters and was set to move back in with my parents with no certainty of ever breaking into the environmental science sector. I was desperate. I was ready to take anything thrown my way, whatever the hours, whatever the pay, just as long as it was experience. A line I had drawn with myself though was not to pay for this experience. While I understood that many NGOs rely on the income from paying volunteers to fund their programmes, I couldn’t justify spending money for experience - it didn’t seem like the ‘right’ thing, it certainly didn’t seem like a very fair concept, and certain entities were definitely going to exploit it. I guess the company I was working for was ready to become one that was going to further exploit the system.
And what a system it is. Young graduates unable to find work because their Bachelors aren’t enough to qualify them for entry-level positions. Candidates with several years of professional experience being turned down for not having a sufficient academic level. Scientific projects that do not recognize previous experience and aren’t always supportive of volunteers. Unpaid internships that require an MSc as a minimum requirement. Gatekeeping within academia that denigrates certain majors and does a good job of sweeping inequality issues under the rug. Unless you have the means and network connections to keep yourself in the sector, you very quickly find yourself staring at a brick wall. Is it a surprise that so many young science graduates decide to cut their losses and work in a different field?
The deafening silence that serves as a rejection letter from your latest job application isn’t a reflection of you, but one of a job market that is unable to adapt to the 21st century. In what world does an entry-level position need 5 years of experience and a postgraduate degree? Why are NGOs recruiting for an unpaid, uncompensated two day a week assistant role asking for extensive experience in video production, technical writing, project management, a science degree, an ability to come in on short notice and that you live close to the office? How does a company justify an online internship where the applicant has to *pay* a grand per week to participate? When did it become the norm for rejection letters (if they even arrive) to emphasize that no feedback is to be expected?
So what can be done? Well, communicate. Science has become such an insular market to crack that the best way to ensure that you or someone you know is able to succeed is to communicate. Share information about projects, companies, interviews, jobs, feedback, potential connections, anything related to the market. Most importantly, share your positive and negative experiences with certain companies, let that be as part of their workforce or as an applicant. Did you fail to qualify for a position but the HR rep sent you a personalized message and was receptive to keeping in contact and providing you with feedback? Tell your network. Were you exchanging messages with a volunteer coordinator and they were overtly dismissive and suddenly ghosted you? Tell your network.
The scientific community should be exactly that - a community. We should know better than most that change is faster to take hold when individuals work together. Join networks on social media, create a group chat with other job-seekers, find ways to promote persons, NGOs, and companies that are treating applicants with basic respect and providing interesting opportunities within our field. If we take a united stand to denounce the bad habits that have encrusted themselves across the sector we might be able to ensure a more inclusive, if not more transparent, job market where applicants can have constructive conversations with their prospective employer. Companies exploiting the current model can either adapt or die - evolution at its finest.
As this next generation of biologists come to positions of leadership, we should seek to provide opportunities for those coming after us. Unpaid internships and pay-for-experience schemes are increasingly coming under pressure as graduates begin to question the fairness in having your their work being taken with for only compensation a line of text on a resume. Fairness starts with fair wages. Fairness starts with effective communication. Fairness starts with creating a community. Fairness and leadership start with basic human rights. We owe it to ourselves and biologists coming after us to enact change within the job market by either doing it ourselves or by demanding the market adapt.
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